Communications of the ACM
Study Finds Hackers Could se Brainwaves to Steal Passwords
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham suggest brainwave-sensing headsets need better security after a study reveals hackers could guess a users passwords by monitoring their brainwaves.
Credit: UAB News
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) recently conducted a study suggesting brainwave-sensing electroencephalograph (EEG) headsets need better security because hackers can monitor users' brainwaves to guess passwords.
The researchers found a user who paused a video game and logged into a bank account while wearing an EEG headset was at risk for having their passwords or other sensitive data stolen by malware.
The team tested a commercially available headset and a clinical-grade headset used for scientific research to demonstrate how easily a malicious software program could eavesdrop on a user's brainwaves. The researchers found after a user entered 200 characters, malicious algorithms could make educated guesses about new characters the user entered by monitoring the EEG data recorded.
"It is important to analyze the potential security and privacy risks associated with this emerging technology to raise users' awareness of the risks and develop viable solutions to malicious attacks," says UAB professor Nitesh Saxena.
From UAB News
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